Foreword

“If today, in social psychology, I submit a paper to a social psychology journal showing that people think rationally, logically, act in their self-interest in situations I won’t only be rejected they will send the men to my house to kill me. They will be like you are not a social psychologist you are a fool.” – Robb Willer, Stanford University Professor.

This post is an attempt to show you how inefficient our opinions are due to our cognitive limitations along with less relevant information available about observed physical phenomena. I will be exploring how people formulate their opinions and solidify them through reinforcements coming from their environment. Even though at times it may seem like it, this post is not an academic paper on social psychology hence the limited amount of biases discussed. In my attempt to explain the insufficiencies of our opinion I will briefly discuss the hypotheses formed during the “Age of Enlightenment” era to show the reader that even though people started discussing controversial subjects with their limited cognitive tools at the time, these hypotheses continue to stagnate societies’ progress as a whole. Of course, I do not disregard the fact that there had to be a slow process of social evolution but resisting new information to protect outdated established practices is detrimental to humanity. We will look at cognitive biases and errors to an extent relevant to this post; I will conclude by explaining how the scientific method can help us as a tool to arrive at decisions without using our subjective opinions.

Age of Enlightenment

In the 17th and 18th century, during the “Age of Enlightenment,” the standard model of rationality explained that human reasoning is and should be logical. Basically that the universe works with logical and consistent principles, and we could understand the laws of nature and the human deductively. Rene Descartes’s view and the views of other philosophers in his era were that human reasoning is always very mathematical. This view placed the blame on the individual for his behavior rather than the environmental conditions he was immersed in. This approach is inadequate today since according to modern social psychology we do not always think logically and rationally. It seems to me that philosophers arriving at the standard model of rationality through deduction proves the inadequacy of their methods.

Unfortunately centuries later, people still believe in the opinion that we are these conscious, cold, reasonable and logical beings. We punish people for their behavior; we execute some; we also get angry at people for being perfectly ‘normal.’ Normal according to their background. This behavior is reinforced, not by the latest information received, but reinforced by our very own social system. Supported by our families, famous leaders, and even friends. The punishing behavior is further reinforced by our media and the personal satisfaction we get when a person causing trouble in our life has been ‘removed,’ neglecting the fact that removing someone does not get rid of the value system which shaped the behavior of this person in the first place.

It seems to me that economic inferences of human behavior also dominate the justice system as well, in particular ‘Rational choice theory,’ as it assumes that individuals will always make logical and prudent decisions that yield the most benefits for themselves, but of course we don’t see that in people who volunteer in the program such as ‘Doctors Without Borders.’ Also, that they are driven naturally by personal desires and motivated by personal goals or selfishness. Within the monetary system, this is evident: we live in perceived scarcity, and this generates a certain pattern of behavior. This is the basis of most economic theories and is also considered by some a general theory of public policy. One of the assumptions made by the rational choice model is that one has full or perfect information about the alternatives, in other words, the ranking between two alternatives involves no uncertainty. This would be interesting to observe in practice but detrimental to competition. The ‘survival of the fittest’ attitude which businesses have to adapt to stay in business will not allow perfect information to be advertised. In the ‘real’ world a company that spends more money on advertising will make their product more attractive than the product of their competitors, which spend less money on advertising. So, you might see one product being marketed more often on television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and billboards, by very convincing actors and a well-written script, and a competing product being in a local newspaper marketed by an easily missed advertisement.

I dedicate my life as you have Mr Fresco and co. Please contact me so I can learn and do everything possible to help make this happen. I’m am so grateful for your self an need to learn and then learn how to spread this across the globe. Please contact me . I know you are extremely busy. I’ve done jobs to trying to help but before learning of yourself I knew it was never going to be the answer as its like patch work. I’ve heard it said before about yourself. That you make sense of queries humans have had towards themselves and existence and their relationship with the world.
If I do here from your team I will be.
If I don’t here from your team I will be like civilization a still water with nowhere to run.
Lets make it happen.

I really wish there is a way that I can support this besides “donating money” – which I know we still need to get this off the ground. I greatly appreciate any suggestion besides what I already do to the best of my current knowledge.
Thank you for all the effort and stamina and belief in a better world for us all.

I might as well jump out of my comfort zone and express my exitement.
Many times in my life have I dreamed about a world where we valued real valuable things
but doubts and confusions and anxiety held me inside in seach for something magically happening either inside myself or in the news

I really want to help in this work. anything I can do for this project speeding up and myself feeling alive again,
I will stay close and explore what oportunities that fits my capabilities.

thanks to all founders and cofounders and especially to jaque fresco for your lifelong care and exhausting work for the future of humanity and life on earth

It’s so life-affirming reading about The Venus projct. In this hopeless time.
I am full of admiration for Your Thoughts, work and vision.
I can only give you right that this will create a better world for all
I’m With You 100% and will be happy to participate in this journey
I wish you all the best of luck
Henrik

As a representative of those just above the poverty line, I’d like to say that I am exceedingly interested in seeing this project succeed. Among the many obstacles this project must overcome before it even gets off the ground, the project boasts an end to war, but let us not forget the numerous wars fought over religious hatred. How do you propose to put a stop to religious zealots murdering in the name of their own beliefs? Any answer you can afford would be greatly appreciated.

Greater things can only be made by simple solutions lets all make a donation just to create your own tent lets say a 5m diameter put them in a circle and start developing on robots that can eventually make the tents disappear. very simple the only thing is who is clever enough to start this unique university where you sign in ones and stay a student the rest of your life and everything you want is there and we create to the human needs.

That’s a well thought out opinion. And honestly I can see where you are coming from with your thoughts about this. But basically you said a whole lot of nothing.

Opinions are the only reason things ever change, nothing would change if people did not have their opinions. You would not have this opinion about opinions without said opinions. This whole website is based off of an opinion about how Humans should change our culture and society to create a better world and what is better is subjective to opinions.

If no one had the opinion that we should regulate our interactions and build communities, would it still haven’t happened? Would we have any of the modern technologies we have unless someone felt that these things should exist and were needed?

An opinion which helps us arrive at decisions based on research through the scientific method, while considering the earth and everyone on it. Is a much more informed opinion than someone who is sitting in his armchair and making decisions that cause events like war, poverty, corruption, and deprivation.

But it’s still all opinions. This site wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for opinions, nor would the scientific method exist. Someone had to decide it was worth it and was favorable to come up with the idea of the method and then spread it.

Though I see your point about how opinions in themselves can hinder progression, they are also a catalyst for change and advancement. This is a double sided coin and it will always be this way. Even if everyone in the world perfectly followed the scientific method the results would still vary. Sure it would lead to a lot less stagnation and quite possibly lead humans to a better future. However opinions are still apart of these methods whether you acknowledge it our not, how you test a hypothesis and how you perceive the given results will be up to the practitioner of the method and their opinions. Though it is still more cut and dry and leaves less to hearsay, it still comes down to each individual’s own perception.

On here YOU are the oppressors and selfish bigots. Their arguements are not anything less JUST because YOU said you don’t agree with the arguement and have successfully (in your own perspective’s ego) won that arguement. Why not end your statemenst with, “oh, by the way, I want the world to progress in a positve evolving fashion.” Your blah, blah, blah, hate, hate, hate is JUST SELFISHNESS. Think outside your ego for once. Jacque Fresco did. AND he is a better and more important person than any of you talentless-uncontributing-persons.

Dear Jacque and Roxanne,
I am a great fan of your work and ideas for the future of humanity. I concur with the thought that we need to overhaul our behavioral science department of our humanity so that our younger generation can grow up to be a cooperative citizens rather than competitive citizens. Science and technology are great tools to bring about that change of abundance to every body on earth, but if they are guided by greed and selfishness the results will be much worse. It’s not an easy choice to make for a grown up in this society which we have created, unless we cultivate the spirituality of universal brotherhood right from the birth we will not be able to achieve what you have set forth. So educational systems should be the starting point for this change. We may design the latest and greatest stuff with our intellect for great comfortable living but if we are not brought up in an empathetic society based on cooperation we will end up destroying each other and the earth. I wish you all the best in your endeavor and I hope that the Venus project will come to fruition to its fullest extent. I believe that no dream goes unfulfilled in this universe, if not this earth there are many more in the universe where your dreams will be realized fully.

I have a slightly different criticism of this than Guy, though his point about what would make the world a better place is just another opinion is a very good one. My criticism specifically concerns the fundamental attribution error and the heavy reliance on the environmental explanation in the essay. While it is true that we tend to make judgments about others’ behavior based on some character flaw inherent in them and to explain our own behavior based on the circumstances at the time, what isn’t noted in the essay is that two people in exactly the same circumstances will react in completely different ways while blaming the environmental situation. So what explains the difference? Their internal character. Some people really ARE bad people, regardless of circumstances. And I think ALL utopians have a blind spot in that regard.http://www.answers.com/Q/Who_are_some_serial_killers_who_have_had_a_normal_childhood_life_and_why_they_would_kill_people

There are some ways of helping the project, mainly by just talking to it to more people and explaining it if you can, promoting by social networks with relevant links , buying books, set’s of dvd’s, donations, TVP store at TVP site.

Mainly… locally trying to join a local team at your region with a point of contact.

Figuring out what technical skills “you” might have and joining a area team of TVP.

Using teamspeak and grouping on meetings and chats.

But in overall just saying “i want to help” has got to depend on what you want to do.

But one day after talking to him he said to me that after he did what he did he learned that he had to stop doing this that way because he was facing things that Jacque many times repeats at his talks about social behavior of people.

So he changed a bit his tactics, but was still a great work.

But mainly the best way of help is studying the Project and Learn to spread the message. and make it forward.

Thank you for this amazing project, a practical solution for human beings to live together abundantly on Earth. Thank you for dedicating your life to the benefit of all beings. It is truly inspirational, and each video I watch and article I read enthuses a passion to help make this vision possible.

I participate in another incredible global grassroots community, whose strapline is ‘for the benefit of all’. http://www.balancedview.org. We are people from around the world, from all walks of life who are training up in the nature of mind. The training and worldwide support network enables us to live our everyday lives for the benefit of all, no longer limited by our programmed reactions to our environment. We train up in using our mind to tap into ‘open intelligence’ (the vast, clear, knowing, seeing, always present intelligence which is our natural state) rather than living a life as victims to our constantly streaming ‘data’ (our conditioned thoughts, emotions, sensations, all experience we perceive).

It is a profound training that has greatly impacted my life as the wish to benefit all and solution orientation subsumes all limiting beliefs, hopes, fears, emotions and other strong urges such as anger, hatred and desire. Strengths, gifts and talents pour forth in amazing ways as does clear seeing and discernment, and the energy and desire to act for the benefit of all becomes a natural way of life. We become solution focused, decisions are made based on what is of most benefit to all and consequently working in groups and teams is effortless.

I wondered how the Venus Project plans to bring about the personal aspect of self-leadership that is required for individuals around the world to make this vision happen? Do you think Balanced View could support with this in anyway?